It was a bare little island, with sparse vegetation. It looked gray and lifeless, with hardly a trace of spiritual energy. The island was small enough to see from end to end at a glance. A crude thatched hut stood atop a reef near its center. By the shore, on a rock repeatedly battered by the waves, sat an old man in ragged clothes, his hair and beard a tangled mess.
A fishing rod rested across his legs. His eyes were vacant and dazed, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
The droplets that splashed onto his face as the waves struck the rock left him completely unmoved.
Netherworld Nine was waiting more than a hundred zhang away. Lei Dong, meanwhile, hovered nearby, fully armed and keeping quiet. He couldn't help frowning. The old man seemed not to have recovered from the tremendous blow he'd suffered. In that state, Lei Dong's purpose here would probably come to nothing. Fortunately, he hadn't placed much hope in this visit to begin with. If the man could help refine the item, that would be great. If not, Lei Dong could have Fei Dan from the sect deliver the wings to Wan Yan when he got the chance, and let her find an Artifact Refining Grandmaster from the sect to make them instead. Of course, the latter option would be much more troublesome. After all, what he wanted was to improve his escape speed during this war and stay alive long enough to see it end. He was here purely on a gamble.
With that in mind, Lei Dong was fairly relaxed. He cupped his hands and called out in a clear voice, "Senior Wang, I'm Lei Dong, a disciple of the Yin Sha Sect's Battle Hall. I'd like to ask you